Shatter Me
by LithiumGirl
Summary: When the past paid the Swan-Mills household a visit matters became complicated. A Henry-centric one shot.


**Sound Of Madness**

**Summary: Not so fluffy. **

"We're thinking of naming him Leopold." Snow said cheerily smiling expectantly at both Emma and Henry. The chill that encased the air in the room was lost on her but not Daddy Charming. The silverware in Emma's hands were wrapped up in a white-knuckled grip with her mouth open. It twitched slightly like she wanted to speak but was refraining with her eyes downcast. Henry's silverware met the table with a bang as he pushed away from the table.

"May I be excused?" He asked

"But we haven't eaten." Snow looked confused and worried. "Are you feeling okay?"

"No." he said slowly. "No I don't feel okay at all."

"Would you like…"

"Do you know what your father did to my mother?" Henry asked in a low tone. The anger wasn't lost on anyone. Especially not his Ma. The ice in the teenagers tone could have frozen them. His body was tense where it had been so free just a moment ago. Emma moved to make a hasty exit. "I'm not leaving until she answers me."

The warning was clear. Her son wanted answers and answers he was going to get. Snow seemed rooted to the spot with nary a sound being released. Her doe eyes were wrought with emotions she was struggling to express. Charming moved to her side as an uptick took over the corner of Henrys mouth. They would always find each other.

"I, I'm sorry I have no idea what you are talking about." Snow finally choked out, smoothing her hideous smock that was her maternity dress. During the course of the last several months she had nearly doubled in size.

"Don't. Lie."

"Now hold on just a minute. Henry," Charming interrupted his tone soft and calm," let's talk about this okay?"

Henry's body language did not soften but he nodded," We can't talk about it if I don't get the truth."

Charming looked to his wife who had remained as she was. Her hands were clenching each other tightly as he moved to reassure her. The warmth from his body allowing her to move into his side comfortably. His daughter moving to his grandsons side. They were holding hands as well a show of solidarity.

"I was only a child." Came the whisper.

"Do you know now?" Henry asked softer, almost choking on the words, but no less hard as a sob escaped the matriarch's lips.

"Yes."

Tears fell from the not quite a man not a boys green eyes. "Well, I didn't know. Not until last night. I want to forget. I want to pretend I never heard it. Then I remember that she can't forget. She can't un-live it. To forget the humiliation to forget being treated as less than a living, breathing person something that is meant to be beautiful and shared in a marriage being taken repeatedly from her. Not existing if she wasn't being raped."

No one moved as the final word was spat out of thin lips. His harsh eyes never moving off his Grandmother who sobbed and shook her head but refused to walk away or take a seat as Charming tried to get them all sitting. The realization of why now had already hit Emma. He hadn't come to tell them goodnight the previous night, only he must have. But he also heard more than he bargained for outside of their doorway.

"Theirs was not a loving marriage Henry. " Charming spoke carefully

"Don't. You. Dare. Turn this around on her." Growled Henry as the veins in his neck, forehead and arms became more pronounced. Emma settled a hand on his shoulder, barely making a dent in his anger. His stance remained rigid she was concerned that the more he felt lied to or her parents trying to make it into one big, well it lead us to be together moment that he was going to snap. Temper wise she didn't have the best track record and the fact that Henry, her Henry was speaking in low anger-laced tones frightened the hell out of her. She could not even begin to realize her own anger at the particular topic.

"Let them go." Snow said, body language reeking of defeat.

"That's all you have to say?!" Emma finally spoke up. "Let them go?"

"What do you want from me Emma?" her mother asked angrily. "I was a child! I didn't know!"

Before anyone could move Henry was on the frozen-in-time woman his mouth bent to her ear whispering in low-tones. Charming went to remove him but Emma got in the way, attempting to reach Henry through his rage and block her father. No one would be putting their hands on her son. Not without going through her first. The two of them stood locked eye to eye.

"Imagine a world where what you want or don't want never mattered. You are young and beautiful. Your people despise you. There is no family around. Your love was killed because he dared show you kindness and was going to keep you from a King. The only person you have in the entire world is a little girl whose mother you became because her father is a lonely, old man. It's your first time. It's only the beginning. The first of many times that you are summoned to his bedchambers. He is not gentle. He does not love and he is certainly not kind. You don't want this. You don't want any of this. But you are trapped just as you have always been. You are nothing. And for the next several years that is the cycle of your life. Being repeatedly violated at his will because you are beautiful and he is your King."

"Henry, you're…"

"Scaring you?" He offered finally easing up but not dropping their eye contact. "I wanted to."

"Henry." Emma said as he backed slightly away. "C'mon lets go home."

"But…" Snow motioned to the dinner she had prepared.

Charming held up his hand to her. "Let them go."

All the energy had left Henry as he gathered his things. Both grandparents looking at him bewildered. They watched their grown daughter and grandson exit their house. The food would be cold and there were four plates. None would be eaten.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later as they lie in bed Snow's hand across his chest as she took in his heartbeat. Her fingers danced in the fine hair that sporadically littered his chest. The wheels had been turning since half of her family had left. A part of her expected a phone call or text from one or both mothers but none had come. In her heart she knew none had but there was that ever present hope bubbling up again.

"I shouldn't have lied."

Charming waited this was her process and the only ways to convince his love of anything would be to let her reach that conclusion on her own. Or occasionally with a push.

"I shouldn't have lied to him."

He remained still.

"My father loved me endlessly. I was so happy, never wanted for anything. Couldn't even imagine what that would be like. So happy and I was so blinded by who I thought he was that I overlooked all the signs. I was ignorant to Regina's pain. Child or not I just flat out ignored it.

One night when I went searching for him I found something else entirely. I looked into her eyes Charming…I walked in on it and I looked into her eyes. You know what I saw? Nothing. Her body was there but she wasn't. Of course the assault stopped but I just ran away. I couldn't deal with what I saw so I pretended that it never happened. Henry was so right…she couldn't.I need to apologize. "

"Not tonight."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The majority of the walk home was in silence. Henry swatting angrily at tears and Emma letting him be. A few times he cleared his throat but made no movement towards talking. This she would allow him. The tension had faded but she had a feeling this wasn't over.

She kicked at a few rocks in her path and saw a twitch in his lips. A twitch was better than nothing at this point. Anger had permeated his being back at her parents' house and its grip remained. But there had been the twitch to indicate while it may not be over he was still her Henry. He did have anger in him but she'd never witnessed it to the extent it just was. She hoped it would continue to be a rare occurrence.

"Sorry for ruining dinner." He offered sheepishly stopping at the corner with the mansion in view but not within earshot of his mother.

"You didn't ruin dinner. I lost my appetite at the name also."

"I wasn't so angry until she lied. Then kept trying to explain it away. I know that was her dad but…that's my mom." He said tears streaming down his face anew when Emma held his head into her shoulder. Regina was the better comforter but this, this she could do. For her son, their son. She shushed him gently as he openly wept in the street for his mother's innocence. "That is my mom."

"I know Hen. I know." Emma soothed but he tensed once more.

"I'm glad she killed him." He admitted nonchalantly making the hairs on the back of Emma's neck stand up. "Because I would if he were still alive."

"You don't mean…"

"Yes. I do." He said with bone-chilling finality.

"Regina would never want you to do that."

His head lifted off her shoulder as he nodded in agreement. "Just, the thought of him, of anyone hurting her…."

They nodded together. She understood. Regina was his mother but she was also her wife. The anger that had surged through her had sent the magic buzzing. Much of the previous night's details were recanted in a robot-like trance as if they had happened to someone else and Regina was just a witness. Then today at dinner the way her mother had been much the same. Yes, she had been aware. Emma already knew this.

"I owe them an apology."

"Not tonight kid."


End file.
